The Best of Ireland

10 August 2016

By Caroline Hendrie

Wild coasts, misty mountains, romantic ruins, great golf courses, grand mansions with beautiful gardens, and historic pubs serving draft Guinness – these are just some of the reasons holidays in Ireland are so popular.

The ‘Island of Ireland’ has never been easier to tour from north to south. On escorted tours of Ireland you could cross the border of the ‘Six Counties’ and ‘Eire’ without noticing. The only clues in some parts of the countryside are road signs changing from miles in Northern Ireland to kilometres in the Republic.
And there is so much to see and do on breaks in Ireland, from sightseeing in Belfast and Dublin and other friendly, lively cities such as Waterford and Cork in the south and Galway in the west to historic sights ranging from Neolithic necropolis Bru Na Boinne to elegant 18th century Powerscourt Estate.
But perhaps most spectacular are Ireland’s many natural wonders. Starting from the top, you need to be there to take in the scale of the astonishing Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim. About 40,000 basalt rock columns stretch along the coastline like a path of gigantic stepping stones.

In wild, boggy Connemara National Park you can see pure Connemara ponies, Ireland’s only native breed of horse, roaming free.
The Burren in County Clare is a dramatic sight, at nearly 100 square miles it is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe, its bleak, flat grey rocks let one of Oliver Cromwell’s generals to observe grimly, ‘there is not a tree to hang a man, water to drown a man, nor soil to bury a man’.

Farther down the west coast the Cliffs of Moher might look familiar from countless postcards and brochures but nothing prepares you for their scale – five miles long and rising 700 feet above the crashing waves.
These are all highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way, coastal road running 1,500 miles through nine counties from County Donegal to County Cork.

En route two delightful side trips are the Dingle Peninsula stretching 30 miles into the Atlantic, long believed to be the edge of the world and packet with ancient sites such as standing stones beehive huts, and the Ring of Kerry with some of Ireland’s loveliest views of mountains, lakes and waterfalls.
And there are manmade marvels from every ear to put on your wish list for holidays to Ireland, too. The striking stone necropolis of Bru Na Boinne is 600 years older than the pyramids of Egypt. It has a Stone Age chamber designed to fill with sunlight at the winter solstice.
The Rock of Cashel on a hill rising from the Tipperary plains is an archaeological treasure trove. It was the seat of rulers for 1,000 years and has the finest Romanesque chapel in Ireland.
Even if you decide against bending over backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone perched on the battlements of 15th century Blarney Castle near Cork it is worth climbing the steep spiral staircase to see the stunning views of the green, wooded countryside and gardens.

The Georgian mansion of Powerscourt is surrounded by the most magnificent Italianate formal gardens designed in the 19th century with sweeping terrace views, statues, ornamental lakes and woodland all against a backdrop of the dramatic Great Sugarloaf Mountain.
Both Ireland’s capitals offer much to see and do. On Dublin city breaks you can tour the Guinness Storehouse and the Old Jameson Distillery with a pint the black stuff or a tot of whiskey at the end. The exquisite Book of Kells written and illustrated by monks in the 9th century is on shoe in Trinity College and the newly resorted Kilmainham Gaol and Courthouse commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916 and recalls the fates of the participants.
Belfast, after decades of conflict has risen like a phoenix to be a pleasant and dynamic destination. A highlight on breaks in Belfast is a visit to the multi-award winning Titanic Belfast Experience. Nine interactive galleries tell the ill-fated liner’s story in the former shipyard where it was built and launched more than 100 years ago.
These are just a snapshot of the scope of must-sees on breaks in Ireland, whether you choose an Ireland escorted tour, self-drive holiday, city break or a British Isles cruise.

Published by Mail Travel, a division of Associated Newspapers Limited, a company registered in England under company number 84121 with a registered office at Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT

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